Not Applicable
This invention relates in general to braces for joint support, and in particular to an exteriorly positionable anatomical brace having cuffs situated about respective limb structures on either side of a uniting pivoting joint such as a knee joint where each cuff is retained in place by respective securement members having externally accessible and quickly engageable and releasable connectors.
Both injury and disease can affect the health, well-being, and operability of various joints of the human body. Chief among such joints are the knee and elbow where disease such as osteo-arthritis can curtail normal activity or where an injury such as a sports-related abuse or impact can prevent or severely limit continued activity. One manner of treating such joint conditions and/or preventing or reducing the severity of sports related injuries is to fit the wearer with an appropriate brace whereby a pivotal support member is positioned adjacent the affected joint and held in place usually by cuffs situated around limb structure sites above and below the supported joint. As is apparent, the cuffs are responsible for stabilizing the support member and therefore must be well secured to their associated limbs.
To accomplish such securement, present cuffs are typically provided with one or more straps that are tightened around each limb structure and retained by buckles, hook-and-loop connections, or the like. Each time a user places or removes the brace, such user must reach for, locate, and manipulate the retention straps in an effort to either properly tighten the cuffs or to remove them. When a brace is in place in association with the supported joint, the retention straps many times are situated in a difficult-to-reach location which many times is behind the cuffs. Such placement means that the user is subjected at best to difficult donning and removal of the brace, and at worst to an improperly placed retention strap which interferes with brace usefulness.
In view of these drawbacks, it is apparent that a need is present for an easily, and therefore effectively, positionable brace. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an exteriorly positionable anatomical brace having readily accessible quick connect and disconnect securement members.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a brace wherein required securement member tightness, once established, is replicated each time the brace is placed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a brace wherein securement members are releasable substantially without increased tension on the involved limb, thereby providing improved safety and comfort.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.
The present invention is an exteriorly positionable anatomical brace for protecting a uniting pivoting joint such as a knee joint disposed between a first and second limb structure of a living being. The brace comprises an upper frame member and a lower frame member joined together by a pivoting joint member, with each such frame member having secured thereon a respective cuff for encompassing a portion of each limb structure above and below the joint. Retention of the brace in place at the joint site is accomplished with respective upper and lower securement members each wrapping around a respective limb structure in alignment with and not encompassed by the cuff. Each securement member comprises a medial piece and a lateral piece each attached at respective outside edges thereof to an elastomeric central piece disposed behind the medial and lateral pieces. Respective inside edges of the medial and lateral pieces are provided with a tightening member for drawing these inside edges toward each other and thereafter retaining the inside edges in spaced placement. Finally, the respective outside edges of at least one, and preferably both, of the medial and lateral pieces, along with accompanying outside edges of the central piece, are releasably attached to respective medial and/or lateral frame and cuff sites with quick-release hand-operable connectors releasable substantially without increased inward tension or pressure on the involved limb structure.
In operation, the brace with retainment members attached at one side is placed at the limb site of a user and positioned about the desired limb structures. Upon initial placement, the other side of each retainment member is connected and the tightening member is tightened appropriately while the central piece increases surface area on the limb structure to disperse pressure and prevent pull from the limb such that each cuff is properly maintained in place. Once such tightening is accomplished the first time, re-tightening is not required during brace use except for any anatomical changes. Specifically, when a user wishes to remove the brace, the user simply disconnects appropriate quick connectors and removes the brace. Subsequent re-positioning of the brace merely requires placement thereof as previously situated and re-connection of the earlier disengaged connectors, all without contact with, or re-adjustment of, the tightening member. Such quick-connect and quick-disconnect operability provides proper brace placement without awkward, and very possibly incorrect, orientation of the brace.